


kangteuk | can we pretend i didn't just say that?

by plincess_cho (ai_hao)



Category: Super Junior
Genre: Author: Ai, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-07
Updated: 2015-03-07
Packaged: 2018-03-16 17:09:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3496271
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ai_hao/pseuds/plincess_cho
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dialogue Prompt: "Can we pretend I didn't just say that?"</p>
            </blockquote>





	kangteuk | can we pretend i didn't just say that?

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: Hospital fic.

Leeteuk wakes up to a faint beeping noise on his right side and a light snore on his left. He tries to open his eyes but his eyelids feel like lead. He wants to reach up and open them manually, but his arms are too heavy to move as well. He exerts all of his strength and manages to only move them a few centimeters.

_Where am I?_

The snoring stops abruptly and a familiar hand grasps his own. “Teuk? Teukkie hyung? Can you hear me?”

_Kangin?_

Leeteuk wants to reply, but he can’t. He focuses all of his energy on opening his eyes, but it’s not enough.

"He moved, doctor. I swear."

There’s a rustling. “His vital signs are the same,” a man’s voice says softly. “I think you may have been imaging things.”

"No he—," Kangin protests and then quiets, "he did move."

The voices blur together into an indistinguishable noise, and Leeteuk falls back into blackness.

*

"How is he?" Heechul asks. "Is he awake?"

The nurse shakes her head. “No… I’m sorry. His condition hasn’t improved since yesterday.”

"Oh." He ducks his head into a bow as the nurse leaves the room and turns back to Leeteuk. It’s like Leeteuk aged overnight, and Heechul’s afraid that this time, they might not be so lucky. They brought him to the hospital after he collapsed in the dorm and when he didn’t wake up, the boys knew it would take more than a shot of ringer to get him back on his feet.

Heechul took over bedside watch first thing in the morning. Kangin had stayed through the night, back when they thought it would be just a few hours. He kicked Kangin out to go home and rest and eat something. Kangin put up a fight, of course. Heechul told him he could come back in three hours. 

Heechul settles back into the chair. Hospitals never seem to have comfortable chairs, and he’s spent too much time over the years sitting in them. Maybe that’s what causes him to ache the most.

After an hour of watching Leeteuk’s motionless form, Heechul starts fiddling with his phone, looking through his contacts for someone to call. But SJM is in Thailand, Gunhee’s in Japan, Shindong and Yesung both have military activities, Kangin still has another hour and a half to sleep, and Kim Youngmin would personally come to the hospital and murder Heechul himself if he called Han Geng to come sit with him.

Heechul feels very, very alone. And Leeteuk still hasn’t moved.

*

Kangin can’t stand it anymore. He’s spent two hours attempting to fall asleep in one of the rooms meant for hospital interns, but he can’t stand it anymore. Leeteuk is going to wake up, he knows it. He shoves his feet back into his shoes and takes the stairs up to the fourth floor. 

He pushes open the door to Leeteuk’s room without so much as a knock. Heechul turns and jumps up. 

"I couldn’t sleep," Kangin says in defense before Heechul can yell at him.

"Thank God you’re here," Heechul says at the same time. "I’m going insane here by myself." Heechul doesn’t even add, "Can we pretend I didn’t just say that?" like he usually would, and Kangin knows it’s bad. Heechul has spent more time in the hospital than anyone else, with maybe the exception of Kyuhyun who’s usually the one  _in_  the hospital.

Kangin sits down in Heechul’s vacated seat and reaches out to take Leeteuk’s hand. His hands are so thin, just like his arms and legs. Leeteuk always feels so fragile when Kangin holds him in his arms. 

*

He remembers rushing to find Leeteuk when they heard the news about his father and grandparents. Kangin arrives at Leeteuk’s mother’s house before Leeteuk does. Some of the other parents are already there, holding Mama Park and Inyoung close. Kangin can’t find the words to say as he hugs them both, but offers his condolences the best he can.

When Leeteuk arrives, he ignores everyone and runs straight for his mother and sister. He tries to give them the little amount of strength he has left. He takes a deep breath between sobs and his eyes meet Kangin’s. Somehow he manages to walk the few steps from his mother to Kangin before collapsing into Kangin’s arms. Leeteuk has never felt so breakable, and this time, Kangin doesn’t know if he can protect Leeteuk from falling apart.

*

Kangin pushes Leeteuk’s hair back and presses a kiss against his forehead before fluffing the pillows. He sits back down and turns to see Heechul’s slight smile. “You look like a married couple,” he says.

"Shut up," Kangin mumbles, blushing slightly. Then he says softly, "Teuk means a lot to me. It’s like he’s a part of me."

"The better part."

"Yeah." Kangin doesn’t even argue. "I don’t know what I’d do without him."

They’re both silent for awhile before Heechul says almost inaudibly, “Yeah. Me too.”

* 

 _Wake up, wake up, wake up!_  Leeteuk tells himself.  _Sergeant Park Jungsoo, wake up! That’s an order!_

Slowly but surely, he opens his eyes. First the right, then the left. Heechul’s passed out. His head falls to the side, and he almost looks like Donghae. Kangin looks about to fall asleep as well, but when he sees Leeteuk’s eyes open, his shoot open.

"Leeteuk!" he exclaims. He jumps up and tries his best to hug Leeteuk around the IV, which proves no easy challenge. Tears leak out of his eyes and Kangin doesn’t even pretend there’s dirt in his eyes. "I can’t lose you," he tells Leeteuk.

Leeteuk manages to find his voice. “I’m not going anywhere.”

* 

They find out Leeteuk collapsed from sheer exhaustion combined with stress. The doctors insist on keeping him for a few more days to get him back on his feet, and that’s perfectly fine with Kangin. He sits at Leeteuk’s bedside until he’s released. And even then, Kangin refuses to leave his side.

"You know, I’m not going to vanish if you let go of me," Leeteuk says when Kangin follows him to the kitchen.

"I know," Kangin replies. "But just in case…"


End file.
